


well-shared secrets

by cowalwefe



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, College student!Mikasa, Established Relationship, Nonbinary Hange Zoë, Other, hange is a certified mess, pieck adores her certified mess, prof!hange, prof!pieck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-17 03:42:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29093679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cowalwefe/pseuds/cowalwefe
Summary: professor overshare and professor brick wall pikuhan, as narrated by tired college student mikasa
Relationships: Pieck Finger/Hange Zoë
Comments: 9
Kudos: 103





	well-shared secrets

**Author's Note:**

> https://thebaconsandwichofregret.tumblr.com/post/179960921170
> 
> didn't expect myself to be back so soon, but i woke up with a vision lol
> 
> hope y'all enjoy this :)
> 
> edit: some paragraphing and small details i forgot to add initially

It was the first day of the semester and Mikasa was already questioning her life choices. Not a great start. Being the overachiever she was, she confidently submitted her application last month for a second major in Psychology, adding on to her Biological Sciences major.

"Expand your horizons, they said. It'll be fun, they said," She muttered under her breath. Thanks to her wise decision, her shuffled timetable separated her from her usual lecture buddies. This meant attending class alone and hoping another unfortunate, lonely soul would empathise and strike a conversation with her.

Mikasa was early, as always. Shuffling awkwardly outside the entrance, she glanced at the time on her phone. Fifteen more minutes. She stood outside the lecture theatre, peeking in the tiny window to see if she was the first one there - only the torso and legs of a professor behind the main desk was visible.

The autumn chill was starting to seep through her thin pullover, causing her to hug her laptop to her chest in a futile attempt to warm up. She weighed between potential awkward small talk with the professor and the face-numbing wind. Another breeze successfully tipped the scales. Steeling herself, she pulled the door open.

Warmth blanketed her skin as she let out a small sigh. She took in her surroundings, only to realise that the person leaning over the desk was Dr. Hange.

They lectured for Introductory Biology a year ago, easily leaving an impression on students due to their eagerness and eccentricity. They never hesitated to entertain students' questions after lectures and religiously opened office hours to the poor kids who got lost in the spiral of their explanations. Mikasa was one of those poor kids. However, thanks to those consultation sessions, Mikasa built a friendly relationship with the professor.

Finding comfort in the familiarity, Mikasa found herself relax. "Hey Prof, good to see you again," she greeted. Hange looked up and a wide smile quickly overtook their features.

"Taking one of my classes again, Ackerman? I'm honoured."

"Not much of a choice, University says I have to."

Hange faked offense and laughed, brushing it off. They quickly got back to setting up their slides, fiddling with the many cables on the desk. By the time Mikasa settled down, the words "Neuroscience: An Overview" were already flashed onto the projector screen, taunting her. She gulped and briefly scrolled through her copy of the slides. This was going to be a long semester.

As students filed in, she started zoning out. She saw Hange smiling at students who walked in and greeted those who they were familiar with, striking up mini conversations easily.

Observing them, Mikasa re-visited a mystery from when she first took Dr. Hange's class. For someone who could talk for hours about the complex workings of micro-organisms and intricate details about the human body, Mikasa didn't know a single piece of information about Hange. Not a damn thing.

She thought back to all the conversations she's had with the enthusiastic professor. Whenever she asked a question about themselves, they would start going off into a tangent about something related to biology.

She remembered asking if they were heading home after a 3-hour long consultation session. That conversation somehow ended with her looking up Hange's paper about the human genome as she walked out of campus grounds alone. This always happened regardless of who asked, or whatever question was asked. It didn't seem like they were aware of their impeccable evasive skills too. Nevertheless, it was none of Mikasa's business anyway. She wasn't one to pry.

From her observations and empirical thinking, she simply deduced that the elusive Dr. Hange was just incapable of talking about themselves without drifting off to their interests.

Just as Mikasa snapped out of her mental deductions, Hange audibly smashed the spacebar of their laptop. The slide now displayed their name, pronouns, and research interests.

"Welcome. I'm Dr. Hange, and welcome to the wonders of the human brain!"

Ah, here we go again.

* * *

Introductory Psychology was next. Mikasa waved goodbye before stepping out of the lecture theatre hastily. She had 5 minutes to get to her next class - generous, going by Hange's usual standards.

Her long legs carried her to her next destination and she plopped down on a vacant seat, not caring to find any familiar faces. This class was filled with first year students anyway. Awakening her laptop from its short nap, she noticed a petite woman leaning into the desk, seemingly lost in thought. Her eyes seemed to be glazed over, not perceiving anything in the current, physical environment.

Mikasa glanced at the time on her laptop. A few more seconds before class started. She was starting to worry that this woman wouldn't snap out of whatever trance she was in. Was she regretting her life choices? Contemplating what she was doing in front of a hundred debt-ridden students? Experiencing existential dread? That would be unfortunate. Luckily, the long-haired woman regained consciousness and straightened up, putting on a coat of professionalism; which seemed to slip off as her introduction progressed.

"Good afternoon, I am Dr. Pieck Finger. Do address me as Prof or Dr. Pieck." She paused, as if calculating her next sentence. "Unfortunately, being referred to as Dr. Finger has led to some... peculiar misunderstandings. I'd be happy if you'd avoid using that." This earned giggles that erupted across the room, releasing any of the First Day Jitters some of these students had.

"Also, apologies if I seem a bit out of it. My partner got up at 3am last night, screaming something about a breakthrough in their research," She sighed, rubbing her temples. She grumbled about something else inaudible to the rest of the class, before picking up a pointer and officially starting the lesson.

* * *

It was three weeks into the semester and Mikasa was not having fun. Her workload tired her out more and she started seeing the sun less - nights spent staring at a computer screen and mornings spent face down into a pillow. Despite this, she wouldn't say that school was bad. Just tiring. She had lesser time to meet up with friends or binge shows, but this deprivation for entertainment was made up by Professor Pieck's lessons. Sure, psychology was interesting and all, but _nothing_ beat Pieck's snippets of her life. In the span of three lectures, Mikasa was pretty sure 90% of her notes were just filled with details about the professor.

Pieck had a habit of using examples in her daily life to describe psychology concepts. It definitely helped Mikasa with understanding the content - which she was thankful for - but she was starting to get worried that all these details would cause Pieck to be blackmailed or exploited someday. In Pieck's defense, most of her stories were focused on her chaotic partner. Here's what Mikasa gathered so far:  
  
1) Anthropomorphism - Pieck's partner proudly sending pictures of their bacteria samples that looked like human faces when they were in the lab.

2) Insufficient justification - Pieck offering to pay $2 out of their movie ticket (instead of the full price) to watch a horror movie with her, so that they would go against their personal beliefs that horror movies sucked. ("I paid the full price of their ticket once and they complained through dinner and the whole ride home. The complaining only lasted through dinner when I paid them two dollars," Pieck concluded proudly, not caring that she had unethically conducted an experiment on her significant other.)

3) Fundamental attribution error - Pieck's partner blamed her for being 'a temptress' (the situational attribution) instead of their own lack of self-control (the dispositional attribution) when they both ended up late for work. (This got some scandalised gasps from students but Pieck quickly corrected herself, saying that she just offered to make pancakes for breakfast instead of their usual toast; and to get their heads out of the gutter.)

Aside from incorporating her life into her lesson plan, Pieck had a tendency to give unprompted bits of information whenever someone commented on anything related to the professor.

A girl once asked about the sleek, gold ring on Pieck's left ring finger during a mid-lecture break. She replied that it was a wedding ring that her partner forged themselves with the help of a friend. A collective "aww" was let out by the class, until she added, "They proposed with four burnt fingers."

The sharp student used her scientific inference skills once again to conclude that Dr. Pieck's oversharing tendencies could be chalked up to the fact that she simply didn't care.

Her overall posture and tone when lecturing seemed to be possessed by an overwhelming force of lethargy. She had a glint of passion in her eyes as she spoke, but her gentle voice really lulled Mikasa to sleep sometimes. Pieck's lack of energy meant the lack of inhibition. She did not bother installing a filter between her thoughts and her mouth. It seemed like it was too much work.

Mikasa thought it was cute though - how Pieck unabashedly talked about her partner and the welcomed chaos they brought into her life. It reminded Mikasa of someone she knew, but she couldn't exactly place a finger on who, exactly.

Not wanting to put anymore mental effort in analysing her memories, she directed her focus back to her textbook. The words "Chapter 4: Attention" stared back, as if catching her red-handed.

* * *

On the following week, Mikasa's phone vibrated with an email notification from Dr. Pieck as she was about to leave for her neuroscience lecture. She opened the email as she sped across campus. It read:

"I regret to inform that I will be starting today's lecture an hour later due to unforeseen circumstances. For students who are unable to make it, I will be uploading a lecture recording later today."

Mikasa raised her eyebrows as she took in the new information. "Unforeseen circumstances" sounded like code for "too long to explain in an email". She looked forward to her delayed psychology lesson.

When she got to her neuroscience lecture, Dr. Hange was replaced by another professor. The obvious difference between Hange's welcoming attitude and his begrudging introduction bummed Mikasa out.

"I'm here to replace your lecturer this week. They got themselves into a situation, but they'll be back next week. Probably. I hope." He bunched his eyebrows together, losing confidence in his proclamations. "Anyway, let's get started."

Mikasa missed Dr. Hange and them rattling off content about neurons and split-brain experiments. This lecturer was too slow, too boring.

She really hoped Dr. Hange would make it next week.

* * *

This time, Mikasa had time to grab lunch before heading to Dr. Pieck's class. She leisurely walked in, seeing the flustered professor plugging her laptop into the system and impatiently watching it start up. This was the most animated Mikasa has seen her. It was a nice change.

As the slides loaded, Pieck started, "Sorry everyone. My partner almost lost an eye this morning trying to fry an egg." A resounding echo of gasps and "how"s filled the room.

"Found an egg shell in the pan, got their face too close to the pan trying to get it out, became victim of an oil splatter." She sighed, waving her hand nonchalantly to dismiss students' growing concerns. "They'll be fine, that dumbass has gone through worse," She added, reminiscent smile on her face.

* * *

The rest of the week passed by in a blur. Mikasa was trying not to drown in assignments, diligently preparing notes for any approaching mid-terms - the usual. She mentally planned her day out as she stuffed extra study materials into her bag, deciding to head to the library to study after Dr. Pieck's class. Her room was starting to become unconducive; ten minutes into a chapter about neurotransmitters and she found herself on the floor doing push-ups instead of slaving away at her desk.

When she reached Dr. Hange's class, the first thing that caught her attention was their lack of a functional eye. Mikasa stood frozen in her tracks, her 10am brain trying to connect the dots. Hange noticed her standing in the doorway with her face scrunched up in thought. They quickly tried to reassure her, thinking the poor student was stunned into silence by their 'drastic' injury.

"Good morning Ackerman! Worried about me? It's just a minor thing, I'll be fine!" They grinned. Mikasa could only nod and smile in return, which she was sure came out as a grimace instead. She walked back to her seat, hearing the professor's carefree humming as they organised their materials in front of them.

Mikasa pulled out her laptop, moving on autopilot. Her mind tried to lay out the facts.

The neuroscience professor's sudden absence last week; their return with an eye injury; Dr. Pieck's emergency drive to the hospital for their partner's egg-eye incident; the anecdotes of the scatter-brained, chaotic mess the psychology professor called the love of her life.

_It could be a coincidence. Accidentally jabbing something into your eye was a common occurrence, right?_

Then again, Mikasa hadn't see a ring on Hange before. As they moved animatedly during lessons, there was no glint from their finger.

As much as the student tried to pay attention in class, her thoughts kept drifting back to her suspicions. Curse this brilliant, critical mind. Mikasa pushed down the urge to dig deeper. She tried focusing on the word "prosopagnosia" on the slides. She failed.

"All right, I'll see all of you soon! Have a good week," Hange's voice boomed, followed by the rustling of notes and relieved sighs. On the way out, Mikasa tried scanning Hange's appearance for any clues to her self-bestowed mystery.

She wouldn't say that she was one to stick her nose into others' businesses, she just wanted to match a face to the ludicrous stories that Dr. Pieck never failed to provide weekly.

She left the lecture venue, confident that there was no ring on their finger; but she was also certain she spotted the glistening clue she was looking for. It rest between their collarbones, hanging from a thin chain necklace.

The next two hours passed by quickly. On the way out of Dr. Pieck's psychology lecture, Mikasa complimented her cardigan.

"Thanks, it almost became biohazardous waste when my partner almost dropped their bacteria samples on it last month." She replied indifferently without looking up.

Mikasa screamed internally, masking her exasperation at the unprompted (yet amusing) response with a slight cackle. Her suspicions were starting to become more real.

* * *

The sky was an orange hue when Mikasa exited the building that housed the library. Thinned clouds drifted slowly across the sky, separating light lilac and the intense orange. She inhaled deeply, taking in the fresh air after being surrounded by the smell of musty books for the past four hours. Despite her increased productivity from the library session, her mind was still occupied with her two professors.

Feeling a buzz in her pocket, she dug her phone out. Annie, a tiny yet menacing blonde she met in her psychology class, had invited her out for dinner. Mikasa found herself smiling. She quickly tapped out a reply, agreeing to wait near the science block for the girl.

She reached there shortly, walking with more gusto than usual. Seeing that Annie would take a while more, she sat down on one of the benches lined along the side of the building.

Suddenly, she heard a familiar voice calling out. She whipped her head around, looking over to the open space carpark right in front of the entrance of the building. A black sedan was the only vehicle parked there.

A woman had her back pressed against the side of the car, her black wavy hair swaying along with the wind. She had her arms crossed and eyes closed, serenity dubbing her features. Upon hearing the voice, she looked up lazily at the approaching figure. They were jogging up to the woman, dress shoes hitting the ground carelessly.

Mikasa immediately recognised the two figures. The tall one with slightly tousled brown hair that was now illuminated by the sunset, was none other than Dr. Hange. They were wearing their usual yellow button up, this time under a tan coat that shielded them from the cold. The other figure - Dr. Pieck - had wrapped her grey cardigan tighter around herself, face partially buried into a dark brown scarf.

"Sorry, toilet...!" They rasped, trying to catch their breath.

"My name is Pieck..."

Hange paused, looking at her incredulously. They opened their mouth, then closed it. Only a strangled noise left their lips before deciding there was no comeback to her snarky jab. Mikasa couldn't deny that she held back a small chuckle.

Hange straightened slightly and regained their composure.

Mikasa noticed how they were slouching slightly to make up for the striking height difference.

"So... Pieck. Waiting on a hot date?" They smirked, crossing their arms and leaning on their side against the car.

"Nope. Waiting for an idiot who got oil into their eye and can't drive for a month."

"Well, they're _your_ idiot."

Pieck's stern act crumbled. She squished the brown-haired professor's cheeks together with her hands, causing a small sound of protest from the victim. "Hm. Right as always, Professor."

Hange smiled with the limited unrestricted face muscles they had, a small giggle bubbling out of their chest.

Their wife tugged them forward so she could press a small kiss to whatever uncovered space left on their cheek. Despite Hange bending down slightly, Pieck still stood on her tippy toes. Hange's cheeks grew warm under her touch, providing a personal heat pack for her freezing hands. She let out a hum of contentment.

Mikasa felt like she was intruding on an intimate moment; a child who was the third wheel at their parents' anniversary dinner. It wasn't her fault that the two oblivious professors were standing in such an open space, and that Mikasa chose to sit on this particular bench that let her see and hear everything. Actually, it was a wonder that the both of them (which added up to a whopping _three_ whole eyes) hadn't seen Mikasa. She prayed Annie would come soon.

Hange gently removed her hands from their face and opened the car door in an exaggerated act of chivalry, bowing their head for added effect.

"Dork."

Hange grinned before heading to the passenger's side.

"Hey, you ready to go?"

Mikasa almost jumped out of her skin, feeling as though she got caught committing a crime. _Invasion of privacy doesn't count._ Annie now stood in front of her, bag slung carelessly across her shoulder. Her bun that looked like it had seen better days was starting to come undone.

Mikasa promptly stood up, ignoring the rev of the engine that signaled the end of the mystery that plagued her for the whole day.

As the duo walked together, Annie spoke up first, "Anything interesting happen lately?"

Mikasa pondered for a moment.

"Nope, just the usual. How was your day?"

Until another curious student picks up on the well-shared secrets, Mikasa figured she'll keep them to herself.

**Author's Note:**

> if you thought professor overshare was going to be hange, i hope this was a spicy turn of events haha  
> you can find me on twitter @generalwoste :)


End file.
